LCD – For the Novice and the Expert

DVI versus Analog

This debate comes up every few weeks in the forums or an email or some other publication. Many people claim that DVI connections inhibit the use of OSD controls, including contrast and brightness.

On the contrary, almost every monitor that has a DVI connection also comes bundled with software. Because DVI connections give you a truer replication of the signal intended by the video card, adjustments should be made on the computer. The bundled software often does this magnificently by adjusting gamma, contrast, brightness, etc. Since a lot of manufacturers were pressured to allow consumers to modify the digital signal anyway, some new LCDs allow you to also modify contrast and brightness while using the DVI connection.

Another misnomer is the rumor that analog inputs produce more accurate colors than DVI inputs. Some people say the analog produces richer tones because analog is more capable of conveying an infinite amount of shades while a digital signal can produce only on or off. For CRTs, this is very true. For LCDs, this is somewhat misleading. Your video card produces an analog signal on the 15-pin cable, but the signal is converted back to digital by the signal processor on the LCD. As a result, the benefits of an analog signal are completely negated, and the only color “enhancements” you will notice constitute inference on the cable.